Joint Venture Wins Maritime Integrated Training Systems Contract

Xebec Government Services, the joint venture company between CAE USA and Pinnacle Solutions, has been awarded a contract to provide the United States Army with a new and upgraded Maritime Integrated Training System (MITS).

The MITS is a suite of simulation systems designed to train the Army’s personnel who operate a range of watercraft, including logistics support vessels, maneuver transport vessels, large landing craft, and expeditionary fast transports.  The U.S. Army Transportation School’s Maritime & Intermodal Training Department (M&ITD) oversees the MITS located at Ft. Eustis, Virginia.

Under terms of the contract, Xebec will be responsible for a comprehensive upgrade and technology refresh of all the existing MITS configurations, including Expeditionary Fast Transport simulation, Full Mission Bridge simulator, and Vessel Defense Simulator.  In addition, Xebec will develop and deliver new simulation systems for the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) and Vessel Handling Workstation to be integrated to the overall MITS.  All elements of the Maritime Integrated Training System are designed to operate as a standalone simulator for individual training or as an integrated and networked system for full-crew mission training.

“This is a new program for CAE USA and Pinnacle through our Xebec joint venture and continues our growth in providing training solutions for a variety of surface ships,” said Ray Duquette, President and General Manager, CAE USA.  “The Maritime Integrated Training System delivers a virtual training environment that is critical to providing both enlisted and officer personnel with immersive and realistic training scenarios.”

As part of the technology refresh, Xebec will update the existing MITS to use the latest version of General Dynamics VirtualShip virtual reality software suite.  The MITS upgrade will address a range of cybersecurity requirements and will also include enhancements to the instructor operator station, after action review station, and scenario generation system.

Technologies are advancing quickly in the virtual-, augmented- and mixed-reality sectors. Find out more on this topic by reading  Quick Look: The Rapidly Evolving VR/AR/XR Device Market.

The MITS delivery order was awarded to Xebec, which was established under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Mentor-Protégé program.  The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) under the Navy’s Training Systems Contract IV (TSC IV) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract vehicle.  NAWCTSD worked closely with the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO-STRI).